If you’re tired of pumpkin right now, then I invite you to indulge in this seriously decadent chilled, no-bake, avocado chocolate fudge tart. Despite the rather long title, this is actually quite easy to make (but doesn’t taste that way!)
I enjoy cookies, sweet rolls, and all sorts of other baked goods. But no-bake desserts will always be up there in my list of favorites. For one reason, when you aren’t baking anything, you are more free to experiment with substitutions, lazy measuring, and the like. They’re very forgiving! For another, I like sweets that I can store in the refrigerator or freezer. The cold temperature helps me to eat more slowly and truly savor every bite. And trust me, with this avocado chocolate fudge tart, you WILL savor every bite.
This tart has everything I love: a super rich, velvety smooth layer of chocolate; avocado (duh! vegans love avocados); the sweet and salty thing going on with a crust made from crushed pretzels; and date caramel in the form of a caramel cream layer. Okay, so that’s not an exhaustive list of everything I love, but it’s a pretty dang delicious cast of characters.
Despite having something green in it, I wouldn’t really call this a ‘health food’… and I’m fine with that. You know, the holiday season, and what not. I do think the avocado adds something that you wouldn’t get from, say, coconut oil. It’s a gentle savory note that helps to balance out the sweetness of the dessert. But not in a way that people would take a bite and be able to guess that it’s in there.
I adore the almost chewy texture of the ice-cold tart out of the freezer (briefly thawed). And of course, it will store for much longer there. Therefore, this is the option that I recommend. If you prefer something you don’t have to thaw, when stored in the fridge, the avocado chocolate fudge layer will be more like a pudding in texture, and the caramel cream will be very soft. In fact, if you plan to store it in the fridge, I recommend a couple of changes to the ingredients so that it isn’t too soft. See the recipe notes for those. The gist of it is that less liquid and more fat (gasp) is helpful for keeping the tart solid at refrigerator temperature.
Avocado Chocolate Fudge Tart with Pretzel Crust and Caramel Cream
Ingredients
For the pretzel crust:
- 1 and 1/2 cups ground pretzels (see notes)
- 1/4 cups refined coconut oil, melted
- 6 tbsp coconut sugar (or 4 tbsp brown sugar)
- 6 tbsp plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
Avocado chocolate fudge filling:
- 1 and 1/2 ripe avocados
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar (or 1/2 cup brown sugar)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk divided
- 6 oz semisweet chocolate roughly chopped
For the date caramel cream (optional):
- 3/4 cup pitted dates loosely packed, soaked in warm water for 2+ hours
- 1 tbsp refined coconut oil
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
Instructions
For the pretzel crust:
- Add the pretzel "flour" and coconut oil to a blender or food processor. Pulse several times until the mixture starts to stick.
- Add the coconut sugar and half of the nondairy milk. Pulse repeatedly until the sugar is well-combined.
- Test the mixture by pinching a bit of it between your fingers to see if it holds together. Add the rest of the nondairy milk if needed, a tablespoon at a time, until it does.
- Transfer the mixture into a pie or tart dish. Use your fingers to press it down, and up the sides, in an even layer. Place the dish in the freezer for the crust to set, and wipe out the blender.
For the avocado chocolate fudge filling:
- Add the avocado, sugar, pinch of salt, coffee, vanilla extract, and about half of the nondairy milk to the blender. Blend until smooth (or as smooth as you can get it, depending on the size of your blender).
- Prepare a double boiler or other indirect heat element. I use a saucepan, with a couple of inches of simmering water, and a small nonstick skillet placed atop the saucepan.
- Add the chopped chocolate and the rest of the nondairy milk to the double boiler. Stir frequently, until the chocolate is fully melted and combined with the nondairy milk.
- Transfer the chocolate mixture to the blender and combine until the mixture is completely smooth. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if desired.
- Pour the mixture into the chilled pretzel crust and use a spatula to spread it into an even layer. Return the freezer to set.
- Rinse or wash the blender right away so that it's not all chocolatey for making the caramel cream =].
For the date caramel cream layer (optional):
- Drain the dates. Add all of the ingredients to the blender and combine until smooth.
- Once the chocolate layer has set for at least 15 minutes in the freezer, gently spread the date caramel cream layer on top.
To eat, serve, and store the avocado chocolate fudge tart:
- Let the entire tart set in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably longer.
- Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry it, and use it for slicing.
- If the tart has been in the freezer for more than a few hours, let it thaw at room temperature for about 15 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Notes
You want to use the 'cracker'-type pretzels, that are hard with no moisture, like Rold Gold twists. Please note that there is dispute over some minor animal-derived ingredients in Rold Gold and possibly other big name pretzel manufacturers. If this is a concern to you then you may want to do research about the brand of pretzels you are using. To make the pretzel flour, Add pretzels to the blender or food processor and pulse repeatedly until coarse crumbs are formed. It doesn't have to be a superfine powder, but it should be pretty small.
To make this a refrigerator-stored tart with a more pudding-like texture, I recommend reducing the total nondairy milk in the avocado chocolate fudge layer to 1/2 cup. I also recommend using soy milk, which generally has a higher fat content. Or coconut milk if you enjoy coconut flavor. For the date caramel cream layer, reduce the nondairy milk to 1/4 cup, switch to soy milk if possible, and add a second tablespoon of coconut oil. I think the tart is best stored in the freezer though.
Nutrition facts include all of the optional caramel cream. Calories, fat and sugar will be quite a bit lower without it.
The crust for this avocado chocolate fudge tart was inspired by Oh Ladycakes.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Sally says
Can I substitute gluten free pretzels for the crust? Are there any substitutions for coconut oil?
Thanks
Sally
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Sally,
Gluten-free pretzels should be fine for the crust. As for substitutions for the coconut oil.. if you like to use vegan butter, that should work. Or melted cocoa butter, nut butter of your choice, etc. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe, tweak ingredients/flavors/sweetness to your liking, just make sure to use something that is fat based or the tart will be rock hard when it’s cold/frozen. Hope you enjoy đŸ™‚
Sophie33 says
A wonderful very appetizing more healthy creation of a fine tart! đŸ™‚
it even looks spectacular!!!
Angela @ Canned Time says
Thinking that I could live off of this pie for a while. Mmmmmmm.;)
thanks for sharing last week and for making me so darn hungry……geez!
Angela
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Haha, thanks, Angela!
Richa says
oooh look at that! i would eat a good lot of that pie!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
My partner doesn’t love chocolate desserts so I ate most of this myself! No regrets đŸ™‚
Deborah Davis says
I just had to hop by from Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck to see your Avocado Chocolate Fudge Tart recipe! What a delectable vegan dessert! I can’t wait to try your recipe at home.I’m pinning and sharing this! All the best, Deborah
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you, Deborah!
Annie says
Wha?!! Holy pretzel crust, this is killing me!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks =P I so recommend trying out a pretzel crust!
Faith VanderMolen says
I’ve been thinking about pretzel crusts recently and have been wanting to experiment with them. This looks delicious!!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you! I definitely recommend it.. very easy to make/flexible measurements, and adds great contrast to a sweet dessert đŸ™‚
Katie @ Produce On Parade says
Whoa! This looks decadent and rich. So yummy, and a pretzel crust is a stroke of brilliance!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you! Sweet and salty is where it’s at đŸ˜€
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
This is amazing. I can just picture how fantastic the base would be against the two filling layers, and would definitely like it from the freezer too. I have made a chocolate avocado tart before, but the topping and base would take this to a whole different level!
Thanks for flagging the race post too – I am about to go and read it đŸ™‚
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you! Chocolate and avocado are made for each other =]
Laura @ the gluten-free treadmill says
This is so completely divine – my mouth is watering!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you, Laura! One of my favorite desserts for sure đŸ™‚